Calories Burned Playing Guitar

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ALEXIS JENKINS Last Updated: Jul 18, 2017

Alexis Jenkins

Alexis Jenkins writes to motivate others in areas of health including nutrition, fitness training and improving lifestyle choices. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in health science from Brigham Young University-Idaho.

Playing the guitar can help you burn some extra calories daily.Photo Credit İsmail Çiydem/iStock/Getty Images

Playing musical instruments like the guitar can promote mental and emotional health, but it may also provide a number of physical health benefits. Depending on your musical taste and style, guitar playing may be relaxing -- or a full aerobic workout. Whatever your musical style, playing the guitar helps you burn calories.

A Mellow Melody

The amount of calories you burn from playing the guitar depends on a number of factors, including body weight, amount of time spent playing and whether you are sitting or standing. A mellow classical or folk concert performed while sitting down helps a 150-pound guitarist burn 136 calories per hour.

Pump Up the Volume

A 150-pound guitarist playing in a rock band, standing on the stage, may burn 204 calories or more in one hour. Add the requisite dancing and prancing of rock and roll and the calories burned go up according to the activity level and the musician's actual weight. A heavier individual burns more calories, due to the increased energy used in moving a larger body around the stage.

Health Benefits of Music

According to Musicouch.com, learning to play an instrument can provide a number of health benefits. These include better intellectual capacity, discipline and patience, stress relief, the ability to communicate and express feelings and emotion, and the feeling of achievement and confidence.

Importance of Physical Activity

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that daily physical activity can help control weight, reduce your risk of cardiovascular and heart disease, strengthen bones and muscles, improve your mental health and mood, and may reduce your risk of developing cancers. The CDC encourages all adults to incorporate more physical activity in their day-to-day living.